Am I depressed?

If you’re suffering from a complete lack of motivation and feel very low after your premature birth, you could be depressed.

Symptoms of depression

The following feelings are symptoms of depression.

feeling tired and lacking interest, motivation or pleasure – in the case of postnatal depression, this can sometimes include not feeling close to your baby or enjoying being with her, which may be accompanied by a sense of guilt and incompetence

feeling low, sad, guilty, tearful, helpless or hopeless

low self-esteem, self-hatred and needing reassurance

feeling irritable and intolerant with those around you, including your baby or partner

finding it virtually impossible to carry out even simple tasks

insomnia or sleeping too much

poor appetite or overeating, sometimes with weight loss or gain

trouble concentrating and making decisions

being restless, fidgety or overwhelmingly anxious

negative or guilty feelings, or feeling that you’d be better off dead, or wanting to harm yourself

in very rare cases, hallucinations or delusions, such as hearing voices.

I have some of those symptoms, am I depressed… or just struggling to cope?

It’s important to remember that having some of the above symptoms does not necessarily mean that you have depression. Many can be caused by the lack of sleep, and stress. A key difference is that even during periods of grief most people feel some moments of joy, whereas if you are depressed your mood is likely to be constantly flat. If you are constantly feeling the symptoms above you should seek help.

Diagnosing postnatal depression

Postnatal depression is defined as depression that starts within four weeks of the baby’s birth.

During the early weeks, your healthcare team will ask routine questions to check how you are coping emotionally.

Some new mothers are nervous about asking for help, especially if they have had mental health problems such as depression in the past. However, if you feel you can’t cope, and this feeling lasts for two weeks or more, do seek help. In extreme cases, untreated depression could impact on your baby’s well-being and development.

Be aware of your mental health history

If you already had a mental health problem before becoming pregnant, you are more likely to develop problems again during pregnancy, or during the first year of your baby’s life, than at other times in your life. Try not to let this worry you, but keep an eye out for the signs, so that if anything happens you can seek help quickly, as any severe problem could put you or your baby at risk.

Treatment for depression

Research shows that simple lifestyle changes such as taking up exercise can often help reduce the symptoms of depression and anxiety. However, if you feel that you may need treatment for depression or anxiety, the options fall into two main categories:

Doctors will often recommend that you combine psychological and medical treatments, aiming to reduce the medication after the psychological therapy is finished. If you are prescribed any medication and are breastfeeding, make sure you mention this to the doctor.

Counselling therapies

Many people find it easier to talk to a professional than to a friend or family member. Counsellors are trained to listen non-judgementally and to help you find a way through your difficulties, while cognitive behavioural therapists are trained in techniques to help you change the ways you think or behave that might be contributing to the way you are feeling.

What to do if you feel like you can't cope

If you feel like harming yourself or you feel unable to look after yourself or your baby, call your GP or their out-of-hours service urgently, or go to A&E. They can refer you to a mental health service.

‘I realised that the way I was feeling wasn’t normal – everything was really sensitive and raw. I was either ecstatic or really low, and it was getting progressively worse. Apparently I’d become quite a bitch to my husband. I started going to the counsellor at the surgery, and afterwards I felt lighter – someone there listening to me, not as a wife and a mother, but just me.’

DIANE

TIP

You don’t need to be feeling suicidal to contact theSamaritans. If you feel you’re not coping and need someone to talk to, trained Samaritan volunteers are available 24 hours a day offering nonjudgemental support.

‘Having a full-term baby seemed to engender grieving for what I’d been through with my premature daughter. I was so intent on doing it perfectly this time round – trying to erase the past – that I got completely exhausted and ended up in hospital with pneumonia for five days. It was only then that I realised I was very depressed. It was so extreme in the neonatal unit, and then you become a mum and have to look after your newborn baby. Your emotional side hasn’t been looked after.’